According to the World Health Organization, overweight and obesity are the prime causes of global deaths. Nearly 2.8 million people die every year due to overweight body and obesity numbers far surpassing Covid deaths.
Obesity in the United States is considered an epidemic.
The problem is it is like a slow poison.
Kind of like your arteries hardening… Imagine if it was painful?
I’m thinking there would be a lot less people with heart disease…
Had it shown rapid symptoms like other diseases, people would have taken steps to eliminate its causes.
Very few people know that obesity is not just about overeating, less physical exercise, willpower, etc.
Obesity and overweight also occur due to the health conditions that you are not aware of.
Without wasting time, let’s move on to learn about the health conditions that are associated with obesity or weight gain:
The thyroid gland located in the neck is responsible for the production of thyroid hormone. It regulates the metabolism rate of the body. When the rate of hormone production slows down, the metabolism rate dwindles, thus causing weight gain.
When the adrenal glands located on top of each kidney yield a surplus amount of a steroid hormone known as cortisol, it can lead to increased body fat.
People have different ways to act during stress, anxiety, or depression. Most of the people turn to binge eating to cope up. This is indeed the pivotal reason for weight gain.
It is an auto-immune disorder. In this disease, white blood cells and antibodies mistakenly incur the thyroid cells which are responsible for producing hormones for the metabolic activities. It slows down the metabolic activities and increases the weight of the body and fat reserves.
It is a hormonal imbalance where the brain doesn’t receive a signal of the fat reserves. So, the body is obese, but the brain sends signals of hunger. Hence, it causes a blood-brain barrier which stores a surplus amount of fat in the body.
Sleeping for less time escalates the production of ghrelin which is associated with the feeling of hunger. It disturbs the duties carried out by lepton. Hence, people start overeating even though they are not hungry.
Water is considered an appetite suppressant. When people stay dehydrated, the metabolism rate slows down, and the food is converted into fat.
A tumor swells up the cells of the Fallopian tube and starts growing in an uncontrollable manner. It causes abdominal swelling and bloating which may link to weight gain.
According to the study, there is around 40%-70% involvement of genetics in the development of obesity. Polymorphisms occurring in obesogenic and leptogenic genes are the deciding factors for appetite and metabolism control. When these genes are not aligned properly, it may lead to weight gain.
Perimenopause happens when hormones like estrogen and progesterone start declining. During this time, women experience mood swings, difficulty in sleeping, hormonal changes, which causes weight gain.
These factors may work as a stimulant for obesity and weight gain. The great news is, many of them can be “Fixed”, but first you must know- What specifically is causing your weight gain??
Why is this important? While fitting into a pair of jeans is cool, the hazardous effects of obesity include:
The main function of the heart is to circulate the blood to all parts of the body. Obesity slows the process of heart as all the nerves are narrowed and hardened because of the fat accumulated near it.
A person who is overweight may have fat stored around their neck. This may make the airway meager. A small airway can lead to difficulty in breathing or snoring, or breathing might stop altogether for a short interval. Such people always suffer daytime sleepiness, difficulty focusing, and even heart failure.
A survey conducted by a medical society elicits that 90% of the people suffering from type 2 diabetes are either obese or overweight. When people are overweight or obese, they may get resistance from insulin. Insulin is important to convert sugar into energy. But if the body doesn’t convert the sugar, it stocks up fat instead.
An obese body elevates the chances of high blood pressure as it exerts more pressure on the artery walls of the heart to pump hard to circulate the blood.
When the fat gets deposited in the liver, it can lead to crippling ailments like cirrhosis, severe liver damage, or even liver failure.
Obesity is one of the reasons for constipation as excess body fat makes it hard for the stool to pass the intestine.
Due to excess fat, the cholesterol level rises significantly. Having high cholesterol levels can degenerate your brain cells, cause memory loss and diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s.
It is a condition in which bile, fats, and cholesterol accumulate and harden in the gallbladder and form stony deposits. A gallstone is associated with obesity because of the excess fat and cholesterol content that is stored in the body. A study by many researchers suggests that 69% of the people suffering from gallstones are obese or overweight.
It is an ailment that is caused due to the inflammation of the nerves. It can lead to severe headaches. Research based on migraine elicits that having excess fat content in the body is one of the reasons for migraines as fats do not allow the flow of oxygenated blood to the head.
Being overweight or obese can increase the probability of infertility in women due to hormonal imbalances. Obese women have more risk of delivering premature babies because of excess fat.
Osteoarthritis is a syndrome in which the cartilage bones of the knees, ankles, and elbows harden and the cells of the muscles degenerate. It causes difficulty in movement. An obese body is responsible for this condition as a lot of pressure is enforced on these joints. Almost 31% of obese U.S. adults are diagnosed with arthritis. An obese body is responsible for this condition as a lot of pressure is enforced on the joints.
According to research from the American Cancer Society, obesity is responsible for about 8% of all cancers in the United States. Excess weight can cause the prostate glands and uterus to enlarge which may provoke the progression of cancerous cells in that area, thus intensifying the chances of cancer.
The endocrine glands are a group of glands that contribute to the development of various functional hormones into the blood that is necessary for your body. Obesity can prevent the healthy production of endocrine hormones, resulting in hormonal imbalances.
Studies suggest that people who are overweight tend to have fungal infections. The reason is excess fat that causes perspiration. It can lead to fungal infections in various parts of the body.
Being overweight elevates the cholesterol level which irritates the sebaceous glands. The sebum secreted from the sebaceous glands contains DHT which causes hair loss.
Gaining a lot of weight gives stress and sprain to the joints and muscles as they are lifting excessive weight. This causes fatigue as the joints and muscles require more time to rest.
Numbness and tingling effects on wrist and feet are common when people are obese. The fat reserves pinch the nerves of the area and slow the blood circulation which is a root cause of numbness.
Obesity dwindles the capacity and volume of the lungs as abdominal fat gets accumulated near it. It causes airway inflammation and reduces lung function.
So yes, it’s important to get a plan to not only lose the weight, but keep it off for good- without crazy low calorie, low carb diets…
So, What Really Causes Weight Gain?
We can all agree, eating too much of the wrong food will cause weight gain, but the vast majority of people I see are eating pretty well and still can’t lose weight.
There are many factors that can cause your body to be out of balance and in fat storage mode, making weight loss difficult to say the least!
Imbalance in Healthy Gut Bacteria
Environmental Toxins
Sluggish Liver / Thyroid /Adrenals
Stress (either current or from years ago)
If one of these is causing your weight gain, all the diet and exercise in the world will just leave you frustrated and wanting to give up…
Until you get to the root cause of weight gain! Obesity in the United States is considered an epidemic.
These are a few of the things we screen for to get to the CAUSE, a much different approach than the typical hCG clinic in Phoenix, for example.
Most people think, ‘If I lose weight, I will get healthy’. The reality is to get healthy (and balanced) and you’ll lose weight! — Dr. Infantino
Any questions? Email me at drinfantino@platinumwellness.net.
